The present invention relates to a walker apparatus, more particularly the present invention relates to a walker apparatus including a frame, an upper body support, a seat, and a base module for accessories.
It will be appreciated that the prior art includes many types of walkers for assisting persons who have disabilities and need assistance in moving around. Typically, walkers are pushed along in front of the person, often a patient recovering from an illness or a person who is weak or unsteady. Such walkers have provided seats upon which the user may rest at times and other accessories such as attached IV stands. U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,577 issued Jan. 6, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,948 issued Aug. 6, 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,708 issued Jul. 17, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,790 issued Aug. 24, 1982; U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,067 issued Mar. 16, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,641 issued Jul. 25, 1989; and U.S. design patent DES. 298,816 issued Dec. 6, 1988 are incorporated herein by reference to establish the nature and characteristics of walkers and their components. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,804 issued Mar. 7, 1989 is incorporated herein by reference to show a prior art combination wheelchair and walker apparatus.
The present invention is an improvement over prior art walker apparatus in several respects. While the present invention provides a walker with a seat supported on the walker for movement between a use position and a storage position, the walker also provides an upper body support portion which will support the upper body of the person using the walker when standing and leaning forwardly to rest. This upper body support portion is advantageous in that the person using the walker may rest his or her forearms on the upper body support portion while resting at intervals.
An embodiment of the present invention is a walker comprising a frame including a lower portion and an upper portion configured to be disposed in front of a person utilizing the walker for walking movement. The lower and upper portions have side portions and an intermediate portion between the frame lower and upper portions. Wheels movably support the frame lower portion. An upper body support portion is carried on the frame upper portion to be in front of the person""s upper body to provide a support for the upper body when needed. In embodiments of the present invention, the upper body support portion includes an arm rest extending upwardly and forwardly to provide a forearm rest and a lower pair of grip handles extending downwardly and rearwardly to be gripped for walking support. An additional pair of upper grip handles are provided forwardly of the forearm rest to be gripped by the person when resting.
In embodiments of the present invention, the upper body support portion is pivotal on the frame upper portion between a use position with the lower pair of grip handles positioned for walking and a storage position in which the lower pair of grip handles are extending downwardly. It will be appreciated that when the walker is used for walking movement, the person using the walker will be standing and walking behind the frame and typically gripping the lower pair of grip handles for walking support. The walker will move on the wheels until a substantial portion of the person""s weight is exerted on the grip handles to brake the wheels. At intervals, when the person needs rest, he or she may lean forwardly and place his or her forearms on the upper body support portion for rest while standing.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, when the persons needs further rest, a seat is provided having a patient support surface and a spaced apart oppositely facing lower surface. The seat is attached to the frame for movement between a first position in which the patient supporting surface is upwardly facing to facilitate sitting and a second storage position in which the lower surface faces the person utilizing the walker for walking movement.
The walker of the present invention comprises an upper body support portion extending upwardly and forwardly from the frame upper portion to support a person""s forearms. In embodiments of the invention, this upper body support portion includes a portion extending inwardly, upwardly and forwardly from each side portion of the upper frame to provide a support for each forearm. A hand grip portion may be provided forwardly of this upper body support portion such that the person can lean forwardly for support and grip the hand grip portion for further support. This upper body support portion may also be provided with a handlebar extending rearwardly from each side portion of the frame upper portion to be gripped by the user when walking.
To provide stability and support, the present invention includes embodiments having a wheel support extending rearwardly from each side portion of the lower frame portion or from the lower base module of the walker. Each wheel support has a proximate end mounted to the lower frame portion and a distal end mounted to one of the wheels. Each such wheel support may be retractable or foldable to a storage position in accordance with the present invention.
In accordance with the present invention, various accessories are provided with the walker. Such a walker comprises a lower portion including a base module having a forwardly extending compartment for carrying such accessories. This base module has sides, a front and a rear section. Wheels movably support the base module. A frame extends upwardly from the rear section of the base module, and this frame has side portions and an upper portion extending between the side portions. The upper body support portion is carried on the frame upper portion to be in front of the upper body of a person utilizing the walker for walking movement. This upper body support is configured to provide support for the upper body when needed for rest. A seat is carried on the walker and attached for movement between a first position in which the seat is facing upwardly and a second position in which the seat is folded upwardly in a storage position.
In accordance with the present invention, various monitors and testers for physiological conditions of the user may be incorporated as described hereinafter. Displays for such monitors may be provided at convenient positions to be observed by the user. Additional accessories such as IV poles may be mounted on the walker for administering to the user.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrated embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.